HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-02-08 Zoning and Annexation Committee Annual Report
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Introduction:
2008 Annual Report
of the Zoning and Annexation Committee
December 2, 2008
The South Bend Common Council
The Office of the City Clerk
Council Member at Large Al "Buddy" Kirsits, Chairperson
Zoning and Annexation Committee
Pursuant to § 2-10 (i) of the South Bend Municipal Code, I am pleased to file this 2008 Annual
Report of the Zoning and Annexation Committee, which highlights some of the activities of this
calendar year, and makes some recommendations for consideration to improve the overall
operations which affect land use decisions in the City of South Bend.
Committee Membership:
This year's Committee members included:
Council Member at Large Oliver Davis, Vice-Chairperson
3`d District Council Member Tom LaFountain, Member
5~' District Council Member Dr. David Varner, Member
Council Member at Large Al "Buddy" Kirsits, Chairperson
Unfortunately, no citizen member served on the Committee this year.
Duties and Re~onsibilities:
As noted in the South Bend Municipal Code, the Zoning and Annexation Committee is charged with
the following duties:
"Oversees the activities related to the Board of Zoning Appeals, recommendations from
the Area Plan Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission, as well as all
related matters addressing annexation and zoning".
Committee Meetings:
The Zoning and Annexation Committee has met (12) times to date this year, with another
committee meeting scheduled for next Monday, December 8, 2008. Rezoning requests, special -
exceptions, fiscal plans and related annexations were the bulk of the reviews completed by the
committee.
2008 Annual Report of the Zoning and Annexation Committee
December 2, 2008
Page 2
Zoning and Annexation Brochure:
This year the Committee approved an upgraded 4-page brochure entitled Zoning & Planning
Procedures (Copy attached). This brochure is available from the Office of the City Clerk, the Area
Plan Commission Office, and the Historic Preservation Office; and may also be downloaded from
the Council's website. The brochure briefly summarizes procedures addressing:
Annexations Rezonings Historic Landmarks and Districts
Written Fiscal Plans Special Exceptions
References to Chapter 21 of the South Bend Municipal Code are given, in addition to references to
the Indiana Code whish sets for the governing criteria when requests of this nature are made with
the Council. Making the brochure available has fostered a better understanding of the process
followed for each type of zoning request.
2009 Possible Priorities:
As noted in my November 24, 2008 report on the Community/Campus Advisory Coalition and the
Social Host Ordinance, ongoing discussions have highlighted the need to continue to creatively
address the following concerns:
• Weekend rentals on home football weekends and the deleterious effect. on residential
neighborhoods
• Illegal grandfathering of residential homes
• Spot zonings
• Over-occupancy of residential homes by non-related individuals
Research on each of these topics has begun. Council Member Aran Puzzello has offered to work
closely with me on these issues. We hope to be pro-active in amicably resolving and addressing
zoning matters so that the our entire city will be enriched.
Another ongoing issue is that the Council and the Administration must have detailed discussions on
the actual costs for police and fire safety services to new areas proposed to be annexed into the city.
This concern, voiced by Council Member Dieter and myself for the past several years, needs to be
addressed, especially in light of the growing financial challenges possibly facing our city in 2009
and 2010.
It has been a pleasure to serve as Chairperson of the Zoning and Annexation this year. Thank you.
cc: John Byorni, Area Plan Executive Director